September is traditionally an important month for lovers of fragrance. The biggest brands save their chief fragrance launches for September each year without fail, marking the most drastic seasonal change in the year with an adjustment in the way we use scents on ourselves and in our environment.
Fragrance is not merely “perfume”, that powdery, cough-inducing fug you fondly remember emitting from your granny in an invisible cloud of cloying odour. A good scent is olfactory art. It is mood and memory – a mere whiff of perfume in the street can bring you back for an instant into the presence of someone long gone, or evoke an intense mood or memory. If you’re going to invest in a fragrance for the coming year, this is the time to do it.
By Kilian Moonlight in Heaven Travel Set (€125 for 30mls)
Grapefruit, lemon and pink pepper sparkle over base notes of tonka and vetiver, with a whisper of coconut floating on the air. This fragrance is a warm climate in a beautiful little bottle.
Frederic Malle French Lover (from €53 for 30mls)
This scent for men will convert you for life. Spicy and with notes of oakmoss, incense and white musk, it is intense but perfectly balanced and classically masculine. It is unusual, and therefore special.
Narciso Rodriguez eau de parfum (from €55 for 30mls)
Instantly loved by almost everyone who tries it, this has a powdery, milky sweet warmth that makes it unlike any other fragrance on the market.
Y by Yves Saint Laurent (from €64 for 60mls)
This new offering from YSL is specifically designed for millennial males. Ginger, Bergamot and sage add freshness while notes such as fir and cedar make the fragrance crisp and wearable.
Jo Malone London English Oak & Redcurrant (from €54 for 30mls)
Light, sweet redcurrant combines with rose and oak to create a deliciously unlikely fragrance which is simple and deeply moreish. This works nicely on women or men.
Memo Fragrances Russian Leather (€205 for 75mls)
Although marketed to both men and women, this fragrance is more traditionally masculine. Basil, pine, rosemary, cedar needles and much more accent nutmeg and Russian leather. It is intensely, moodily beautiful.
YSL Beaute Black Opium Pure Illusion (€83.50 for 50mls)
A modern version of a classic with vanilla, patchouli, cashmere and wood forming a base upon which pear, jasmine, pink pepper and coffee (among others) dance. This is a fragrance for those who like a potent, heady scent.
Armani Prive Pivoine Suzhou (€130 for 100mls)
The delicacy of this soft floral is unparalleled in fragrance. It is the murmur of crushed peony petals, a simple and unforgettably delectable fragrance. A perfect choice for anyone who is drawn to effervescent florals.
Product of the Week:
Gabrielle Chanel eau de parfum spray (from €97 for 50mls)
I generally dislike white-flower scents as they can be heavy and have a headachey after-effect. This is the first that I really love. It is simple, clean, warm and ageless. Jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom and Grasse tuberose. It is an all-occasion scent.
